Turbine airfoils operate in a high temperature environment and often require internal cooling to obtain a desirable design life cycle and component performance. Ceramic cores are used to create internally cooled geometries that provide a cooling air distribution to meet both efficiency and life targets of the component.
The ceramic core is typically made using a plasticized ceramic compound comprising ceramic flour, binder and various additives. The ceramic compound is injection molded, or transfer molded at elevated temperature in a core die or mold. When the unfired or green core is removed from the die or mold, it typically is placed between top and bottom rigid setters to cool to ambient temperature before core finishing and gauging operations. Unfired or green ceramic cores may warp or twist within the gaps in the rigid setters during cooling, as such, cores may exhibit dimensional variations from one core to the next in a production run of cores. Moreover, the unfired or green core may be improperly contacted by the top or bottom setter such that dimensional variations from one core to the next occur in a production run.
Therefore, a method of forming a ceramic component and high temperature mold component for use with the method of forming the ceramic component that do not suffer from the above drawbacks is desirable in the art.